Indian cricket team has been blessed with many legendary leaders over the years. Legendary players like Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar and MS Dhoni have led India in different eras and contributed towards the development of the game.
India won the 1983 ODI World Cup under Kapil Dev’s captaincy while MS Dhoni led the team to wins in the 2007 T20 World Cup and 2011 ODI World Cup. India also delivered some memorable performances under the leadership of Sourav Ganguly and Virat Kohli.
Ganguly led India to the final of the 2003 World Cup and helped the team win away games while Kohli also established India as a ruthless unit, taking the team to twin series wins in Australia, however, he could not help India win an ICC trophy.
Experts have different opinions on the best Indian captain. While some have backed MS Dhoni and Kapil Dev, the two World Cup winning captains, former India player Mohammed Kaif feels Sourav Ganguly is the best Indian captain.
“I would say Sourav Ganguly. I remember he told me that I should go out there and give my best shot and that he is there to back me, he is there to support me. That’s a big comment. As a young guy, if you have a captain like Sourav Ganguly, you get emboldened while playing for India.”
“Sourav Ganguly was amazing, he was fantastic. Captaincy means you need to be a leader – lead from the front, pick the right players and back them. Ganguly built the team.
Mohammad Kaif
Along with leading India to the final of the 2003 World Cup, Ganguly also took India to a famous win over England in the 2002 Natwest Trophy final. Ganguly was born on July 8, 1972, in Kolkata and went on to become one of the greatest batsmen of all time. Ganguly ended his career with over 19000 international runs and 38 centuries across formats.
